- What's up, Trainiacs?
Following up on yesterday's battle of the titans
with "What is Better?
"Biking or Running?"
Today, we are talking about why
running is better than biking.
(high-energy electronic music)
The first reason that running is better than cycling
is because running is better at achieving peak performance.
Because it takes up more systems,
it uses our muscular system,
our skeletal system because we've gotta hold ourselves up,
it pushes our lungs to a higher heart rate,
somewhere about 5-10% higher than it is on the bike,
running is much better than cycling at creating absolute
peak cardiovascular,
muscular, skeletal, and overall fitness.
And the next reason that running is better for triathlon
than cycling is because measured workouts running
are a lot easier than measured workouts cycling.
When you get on to a track
or you start doing treadmill intervals,
you can hit an exact pace with an exact time
for an exact interval, so it's easier to measure progress
and start doing workouts that are
custom-designed for a specific purpose.
On the bike, it's sometimes hard to hit exact watts.
You try to hit 270 watts and hold exactly that
for five minutes, it's gonna be pretty tough,
and it gets even tougher when you get onto a road
and you got stoplights, you got wind, you got turns,
you got people on the side that need to stop and pee.
Not such an issue with running.
And the next reason that running is so much better
than cycling is that it's less expensive.
You buy yourself a decent pair of shoes for $100-160.
You buy yourself a pair of shorts.
You totally do away with the shirt.
Who runs with a shirt, anyway?
I'm embarrassed for you if you run with a shirt on.
You don't even need a big, fancy watch.
You can get into it
for a couple hundred dollars, no problem.
The same cannot be said for our pal, the bike.
Feather in your cap? Running.
Now, the next reason that running is better than cycling
is because it takes less time to end up
becoming freaking awesome at it.
You gotta spend a lot of time in the saddle
to build a lot of fitness on the bike.
We're talking one-and-a-half-, two-,
all the way up to four-, five-hour rides
to become really good on the bike.
On the run, you do a half-hour to forty-five minute tempo
or speed workout twice a week.
You do a long run of upwards of about hour and a half
to two, two and a half hours on the weekend,
and all of a sudden you are set for marathons,
you're set for Ironmans, like, you're good, son,
or daughter.
Now, the next reason that running
is better than cycling for triathlon is that it's safer.
You hear a lot about cyclists
getting dinged out on the road,
but you don't hear a lot about runners
getting dinged a lot out on the road.
Cycling, you typically have to be
out on open roads with cars.
Running, you can be on running trails,
you can be on sidewalks, you can be on tracks,
you can be away from traffic, keeping yourself a lot safer,
and if you're safer and you're not hit by a car,
odds are you're gonna be able to continue training
and people who are recovering
from getting hit by car injuries aren't very fast.
Now, next reason that running is better than cycling
is because you can typically do it right from your door.
From most people's door,
there's a number of running routes available.
A lot of trails, a lot of running paths,
a lot of safe places that you can go run.
The same can't be said for cycling.
In a lot of instances, you have to drive
or ride for miles and miles before you even get
to a safe place to go for biking.
So, if it's easier for you to get to, bing!
Running, you're gonna be able to do it
a little bit more often with less stress,
and for us busy triathletes, that's critical.
Check! Running. That's backwards. Running.
A seventh reason that running is better than cycling
is because there are more events
to test yourself and have fun.
There's a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, a marathon
every weekend and multiple times throughout the week.
You can go out and race against competition
and measure your progress over and over and over.
It's very fun. It's very easy.
Cycling events, however, they're a lot more rare,
it takes a fair bit more organization,
it's a bit more of a production
to get to a place that holds cycling events.
So, running events, if you're gonna measure yourself
against your competition, very easy to do.
The next reason that running is better than cycling
is because it builds a stronger overall body structure.
All that pounding, it ends up creating
a fair bit of strength and ability for your body
to hold itself upright that cycling doesn't provide
because this is a non-weight-bearing exercise.
Now, next reason that running is better than cycling
is because it's a better indication
and a test of overall fitness.
You got a weak digestive system?
You'll find out in running.
You got a weak core? Yeah, running will tell you that.
You got some deficiencies in the structure of your feet?
Yeah, you're gonna find that out in about four, five runs.
The same can't be said for cycling.
You ever see a cyclist try to run?
It's like watching Bambi on ice. They're all over the place.
They aren't nearly as coordinated as runners.
Runner have to be structurally very strong, very efficient.
And the last reason that running is better than cycling
is because you get to run across finish lines,
and that is, by far, the best part about a triathlon.
Sorry, biking.
You don't get that same rush when you bike into T2.
So, in all seriousness, what do I like better?
Biking or running?
Well, I prefer, I have more fun cycling.
I get to do it with friends,
I get to see the surrounding community.
I am a gearhead, so I love that aspect of cycling.
I also love the intensity of bike sprints because,
frankly, I'm good at bike sprints.
And I am always beat up by running.
If I've been injured over the last five, six years,
it's because of running.
However, I certainly appreciate the fitness
that I get from running, specifically,
because it does hit that really top end of fitness.
It gives you some intensity,
and it gives you some (fingers snapping) twitchy-fast speed
and challenge that you don't necessarily get from cycling.
I think about a five- or a 10k,
or even a half marathon running race,
and I compare to, like, those old strongman competitions
where the guys had to hold a weight as long as they could,
and if they dropped just an inch, boom, it was done.
That's kind of what a running race feels like to me
because if I drop my pace and give just an inch
and let my body recover for even a second,
boom, my pace goes to hell, and I like that challenge.
I also prefer to spend my time cycling
because I know it has such a big aspect of triathlon,
being such a big proportion of the total race.
However, I do wish that running wasn't
such a Cracker Jack box of injuries
because I like that top-end of speed, it's kinda fun.
So, I hope you've enjoyed these two videos.
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hit that subscribe button below.
And if you are subscribed,
comment below with what is your favorite,
running or cycling.
Later, Trainiacs.